


Soul Searching for the Lost

by GaysWithSwords (Laura02)



Series: Dancing Souls [2]
Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/F, LGBTQ Female Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Vampires, Shapeshifter, Shapeshifters - Freeform, Short Story, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:42:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27167422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laura02/pseuds/GaysWithSwords
Summary: What do you do when half of your soul is lost? Well, you go on a search to find it, of course. Even if that involves vampires, shapeshifters and drugs. The kind that the doctor gives you.-or-A series of scenes in which Charlie (Charlotte) Swan tries to find her soulmate.[sequel to The Bittersweet Dance of Life]
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Rosalie Hale/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Dancing Souls [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983043
Comments: 34
Kudos: 82





	1. Prologue

Rosalie traced her fingertips along the elegant letters on the headstone. The name that was carved into it was barely readable to a human in the darkness of the evening, but with her supernatural vision they were easy to discern.

"A loved one?"

She looked up to find an old lady standing on the path that led along the graves of the cemetery. The lady was leaning heavily on a wooden cane, but there was a lively and curious look in her eyes. It reminded Rosalie of someone, but that thought was quickly pressed down into a deep, dark corner of her mind. She smiled sadly. "Something like that, yes."

"My best friend is just a bit further along," the old lady said, motioning with the flowers she held in her hand to a grave a few feet away. "She would have loved this night. The dark was her thing. Obsessed with Halloween, the crazy girl. Anyway, I must keep on moving, if I want to get back home before it's too late. I wish you all the best."

Rosalie returned the regards with a soft voice, not finding it in herself to pull up the emotionless mask she usually wore around strangers. She knew – though she would never admit it – that her heart had softened throughout these past few years, and she did not know whether to love or hate the change. Turning back to the gravestone she had cleaned earlier, she traced along the letters once more, taking in a few deep, unnecessary breaths.

"Swan," she said almost without sound as she lifted her hand away from the last word.

"Rawr."

Rosalie snorted and rolled her eyes, snapping out of the depressive mood she had slowly been sinking into. "You're quick. You texted me it'd be a while. Did you manage to find flowers anywhere?"

Arms clasped around her middle and a chin came to rest on her shoulder. "Yep!"

Rosalie lifted a brow and turned around in the arm's grasp, coming face to face with a certain sandy brown-haired girl. "And how on earth did you manage to do that in Forks, in the middle of fall, at nine in the evening?"

A somewhat guilty look flashed across the girl's face. "I might have found them in a front yard? And I'm not sure if they're flowers, but they're plants? That counts, right?"

"Char," Rosalie said with an exasperated sigh. "Seriously? I thought you'd come back with nothing when you decided to go hunting for flowers at this time."

"And you didn't stop me?" Charlie looked offended now.

"You were gone before I could talk to you," Rosalie said, glancing up to the dark forest that bordered the cemetery. "Not that there would have been any way of stopping you either way." She hooked her arms around Charlie's neck. "Well Miss 'steal-plants-from-human's-yards', how about you go put said plants on your grandma's grave and we can move along with our night." She emphasized her words by pulling Charlie in for a passionate kiss. However, not even a second later she pulled back. "Char…"

"What?" Charlie asked, smiling innocently, making sure to keep her teeth covered.

"Open your mouth."

"Ooh," Charlie said as she looked away, hiding from Rosalie's gaze. "Getting-"

"Charlotte Swan!"

"Alright, alright," Charlie mumbled with a pout. She shuffled her feet. "Don't get mad alright? It's just, me and Emmett-"

"Oh for the love of God, what have you two been up to now."

"-have been trying out the costumes we picked out! It's nearly Halloween, we have to make sure everything fits." Charlie met Rosalie's eyes and grinned.

"Are those fangs."

"…maybe?"

Rosalie finally noticed that her girlfriend was not wearing her usual winter coat either. "Is that a cloak."

"…it might be?"

"You are dressed up like a vampire."

Charlie was still grinning. "Yep."

"Those fake fangs better be out of your mouth by the next time I want to kiss you, or you'll be sleeping on the couch for a month."

"But I don't even sleep-"

"You get what I mean."

Pure fear entered Charlie's body. She knew how much Rosalie could hold a grudge and whenever she said something like this she was not kidding.

Charlie knew that particular fun fact from experience.

Extracting herself from Rosalie's grasp, she hopped back to the backpack which lay discarded on the path. She ran a finger along her teeth and popped the fake fangs out of her mouth. They got a nice spot in the front pocket of her bag. Charlie took out a little black pot with the green plant from the main compartment and stood up again to find Rosalie staring at the gravestone.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Rosalie quickly reassured, but something felt off.

Charlie leaned down to place the little plant on the stone slab, blowing a kiss towards the headstone. Straightening up, she stared at Rosalie until a realisation occurred to her. "You're thinking about it being me."

A wry smile spread across Rosalie's lips. "It could very well have been if you had not decided to take action."

"Rose," Charlie started, stepping forward to pull Rosalie back to the path by her wrist. "I know it could have been, but it wasn't me in the end. Besides, do you think I would have let myself been buried in fucking Forks? Come on."

That got a little chuckle out of Rose.

"I mean, I love the place, sure," Charlie continued, a new glint of amusement in her eyes. "But I wouldn't have wanted to be put here for the life of me. I might've written that somewhere on my phone when I knew I was going to die. Anyway, I think it's time we should get moving. Someone promised me we would move along with our night, and I have a few ideas of things I'd like to do." She added a little wiggle of her eyebrows.

A gag sounded from somewhere close by.

"Shut the fuck up, Leah!" Charlie shouted, noticing the smile that accompanied Rosalie's roll of the eyes. "I told you, you could leave! Why are you still here?"

"I'm waiting for Seth to come and pick me up, bitch!" Leah shouted back, her voice loud to the two vampires even though they could not see her. "Not all of us are equipped with never-ending energy, alright? And your need to have me help you to find a plant after our meeting had me burn through all the food we ate. I ate. Ugh, whatever."

Rosalie shook her head in amusement. "Let's go, Char." She pulled Charlie along towards the exit and right into the forest. "Where did you and Leah get that plant?"

Charlie grinned. "Let's just say a certain chief of police might be missing a piece of his garden now." Before Rosalie could react, she continued, "Race you back to the hotel?"

Off into the night they went.


	2. Part 1 - Where It All Began/Where the Story Picks Up

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?”

Charlie did not respond to the question, instead choosing to focus on climbing up the slanted street. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she could feel her t-shirt starting to cling to her body.

“Char?”

“Slow down, you idiot,” Charlie said, huffing when she finally caught up. Sitting down on a bunch of stone steps that lined the road, she groaned. “Why are all the roads built upwards? Why can’t it be nice and flat?”

Leah sighed and sauntered over from where she had been waiting just a few feet ahead. “This town is quite literally built on a hill, if you hadn’t noticed from our car ride up here. Besides, we’ve only walked about” – she glanced back – “three hundred feet. We’ve still got some to go, too.”

Charlie glanced up, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand as she sent Leah a pout. Or at least something that looked like it. “Can’t you carry me? Or wolf out and just run both of us up the hill?”

“I’ve told you, people would stare at us if I threw you across my shoulder and ran away. They’d probably think I was kidnapping you.”

“I beg to differ. Pretty please?”

“Char, I know you are on drugs, and I’m going to forgive you for not listening to anything I say. Now, I asked if you are sure we’re in the right place? Your vamps didn’t leave you a note, right?”

Charlie sighed and let her hand fall back down to her side, letting the sun hit her face. Everything hurt these days, and it was better not to exhaust her muscles too much. “Lee-lee, I told you, I did _extensive_ research and made a list of _all_ the towns that Dr Cullen could have been talking about. There were a _lot_. Then I narrowed it down using my brain powers, reasoning and the fact that I vaguely remember them talking about the Vol- _something_. And if I’ve learned anything from spending time around vampires, it is that they have a flare for the dramatics in both actions-“

Leah snorted. “Seems to be something all mythical creatures have.”

“-and choice of residence. Volterra is the first one on the list. If they aren’t here, Volpiano is the next one. But only after a three day nap. Dear God, I really want to sleep.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Leah said, waving the words away. Some of the passing people were looking at them in curiosity now. “You’re always tired. You slept in the car for the majority of our way here, for Christ’s sake. Now come on, let’s climb up this street.”

She held out a hand for Charlie to take and helped her back up to her feet. Charlie swayed dangerously, gripping onto Leah’s arm as specks of light flickered across her vision. Taking deep breaths seemed to help, and she slowly regained her balance. “I love you, my dude.”

“Yeah, that’s enough,” Leah said, slowly peeling Charlie’s fingers from her arm when it became evident she could stand on her own. “Let’s move on.”

-x-

_“Don’t worry Mom, I’ll be fine,” Charlie gave her a tight smile, trying not to pull her mom’s attention to the fact that her knuckles were white from the tight grip she had on the handle of her suitcase. Her balance was always off these days, and it felt as if the world around her was turning off its axis._

_Charlie’s focus shifted to the brabbling child sitting in her mom’s arm. Automatically the forced smile changed into something more genuine._

_“You take good care of our family, yeah?” she said in a serious tone, smirking when Noah went silent and gazed up at her with his innocent brown eyes. “Now that I’ll be gone, who will get rid of the spiders? Not your dad, that’s for sure.”_

_“Charlotte,” her mom laughed, smoothing one hand through the blond hair that stuck straight up from Noah’s head. “Don’t go bothering your brother with responsibilities. We’ll manage. We’ll miss you a lot, but I hope this trip will do you some good.”_

_Charlie sighed and looked away. “Yeah, me too.”_

_“Now, you know we’re just a call away when something goes wrong, right? If you don’t feel good, take it easy, and-“_

_“I know. The doctors said it’s just stress, so this holiday should help with that,” she lied through her teeth._

_“I’m sorry they were unable to find anything that would help,” her mom said, a sad look washing over her features. “It wasn’t easy to see you going through all that, I can’t imagine what it was like for you.”_

_“About the same, I’d wager,” Charlie said with a chuckle. She checked the time on her phone and jumped back into motion when she realised she did not have too much time left until she would have to board her plane. “I have to go.”_

_Her mom crushed her into an awkward hug, Noah carefully pressed between the two of them. When they pulled back, Charlie could see her mom’s eyes watering and she took it as a sign to get the hell out of there. It was one thing to feel both the disappointment of herself and that of her mother – even though the latter was not directed at her, but rather at the situation – and it was another to actually start down that downward depressive spiral. A pecked kiss on Noah’s head was followed with a kiss to her mom before she loosened her grip on the suitcase ever so slightly. When she did not immediately topple over, she looked up one more time to say her last goodbyes._

_When she sat in her seat on the plane two hours later, breathing in stifled air and wearing as little clothes as she could get away with, she could not help but feel relieved. This entire thing held a little too much of a sense of déjà vu, but she could handle that for the time being. Leaving behind worrying experiences and putting them into the back of her mind felt a bit like cheating the system of life, but the burden that lifted off her shoulders made her think it was at least worth it._

_Taking off her headphones, she hung them around her neck for easy access once they were in the air. She clicked her seatbelt into place and sat back with a sigh, surveying those who were seated around her. Once the flight attendants had passed, Charlie returned her attention to the window._

_Forks, here we come._

-x-

The trek up the streets of Volterra was not done without two more breaks, requested by Charlie. It would have been how much she was slowing the two of them down if she could string together a few coherent thoughts, which had become more and more impossible with exhaustion these past few months. It did not help that the painkillers she had been given by the doctor in a very clear move of ‘making her last time on earth comfortable’ made her all drowsy. Having her organs shut down on her at nearly twenty was not how she had pictured her life to turn out, but shit happens sometimes.

Charlie didn’t notice that Leah had stopped walking until she bumped into her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, per se,” Leah said, tilting her head up and taking a deep breath. “In fact, I think you might have been right.”

A silly grin spread across Charlie’s face. “Aren’t I-“

“-always, yes, yes I know you cheeky bitch,” Leah interrupted with a roll of her eyes. Still, Charlie could see the tension that was now plaguing Leah’s shoulders. “Ugh, it smells disgusting here.”

Charlie heard the underlying concern that went much further than ‘smell’. It could not feel natural for a shapeshifter to walk into a den full of vampires. Mortal enemies or not – and Charlie had her doubts about that – they were still able to kill each other if they took the effort. “You don’t have to come with me. I mean, you joined me in travelling to Italy, which you already didn’t have to do. I can go in alone, it’s no trouble.

“You don’t think I would’ve let my friend – who had been a terrible friend these past years – go to Italy on her own in this state, now do you?” Leah said, turning around. “Besides, now that I’m here, I might as well go all the way. You’re not doing this alone. It’s your sorry-ass vampire girlfriend’s fault you’re in this situation anyway.”

“Leah!” Charlie said. “I told you already, it was my-“

“Yes, I know it was your decision not to go with them, but if she, or any of her coven had realised what your bond would do to your frail human body – which they should have! – we would have never been here. But we’re not here to argue. I’m going with you. If I don’t get out alive, at least I’ll never have to go back home and share a telepathic link with a bunch of horny teenage boys.”

“Loved the speech,” Charlie nodded.

Leah sighed. “You didn’t pick up on much of that, did you?”

“Nope,” Charlie said, popping the ‘p’.

“Nevermind. We’re going in.” Leah grabbed onto Charlie’s arm, helping her up the last part of the street.

-x-

_“Let me get this straight,” Leah said, throwing an incredulous look at Charlie, who shifted uncomfortably in the restaurant’s booth. “You got involved with the Cullens, fell for Rosalie, she says you guys are mates, you decide to split up, and now your organs are failing?”_

_Charlie nodded and laid her head down on her folded arms._

_“You’re an idiot,” Leah said. “But she’s even more of an idiot.”_

_Charlie looked offended on Rosalie’s behalf. “No she isn’t!”_

_Leah ignored her. “So now what? You want to go look for these vampire kings and see if they can help you?”_

_“Yup,” Charlie said. “But I thought I’d come and say goodbye first.”_

_“No.”_

_Charlie frowned. “What?”_

_“You’re not going alone. I’m coming with you. God knows I need a break from this pack anyway.”_

-x-

A bunch of people were gathered right in front of the building that Charlie managed to identify as Palazzo dei Priori. She shared a look with Leah and moved over to join the group. The people were talking amongst themselves, glancing up at the closed wooden door every now and then.

Leah and Charlie awkwardly stood at the edge of the group as they tried to get an idea of what was happening and who was around. A big prestigious building like this one was perfect for dramatic vampires, but that was not to say it would be the most practical. Charlie almost started to doubt her assessment when the door opened and a smartly dressed pale woman slipped outside. Immediately she was entranced, not noticing how she took a step forward, leaning towards the woman’s presence. She was stopped by Leah with a hand on her arm and a hissed word, which also effectively had them catching the attention of the woman.

The woman weaved her way through the group of tourists, waving their questions away with a sugary sweet smile until she stood in front of them. There was something about her entire posture that felt _off_ , and somewhere in the back of her mind Charlie noted that they were really doing this. They were really stepping into a position where they may very well be killed in an instant. Would she still be alive in an hour from now? She had no idea if any of these genuinely dangerous vampires would be willing to help her.

Charlie blinked, the edges of her vision blurring and coming back into focus. She tried to pay attention to the woman’s face, but her eyes got pulled back to the beautiful blond hair that lay across her shoulders and promptly burst into tears

Her feet were tired, and she swayed unsteadily. She would have crumpled to the floor if it wasn’t for the two pairs of hands holding her up, two very hot, the others-

She had her arms wrapped around the woman’s torso within a second, head laying down on a nice and freezing cold shoulder. Leah’s hands were on her back, trying to pry her away from the comfort, which only made her cry more.

The woman stiffened at the initial contact, but soon relaxed and brought her arms to hug Charlie back. She took a deep breath in, scenting the air, and seemed to have a realisation. One hand came up to cup the back of Charlie’s head, whilst the other rubbed soothing circles on her back. “Well, well, well. That is certainly a welcome.”

Leah sighed. “You can say that. I’m Leah. Who are you?”

“My name is Heidi,” the woman said. Her hands stilled their motions. “And what is your name, darling?”

Charlie sniffled. “I’m Charlie. I’m sorry I’m crying. You look like my ex!” She promptly continued crying.

“…alright?”

“What Char here _means_ to say,” Leah said. “Is that you look like her vamp girlfriend. Who left her.”

“I left her!”

“They made the decision to split up,” Leah modified. “Which apparently doesn’t do a lot of good to the human body. Shit, this entire conversation is a mess.”

Charlie could feel Heidi taking in a sharp breath. “Why don’t we continue this conversation inside? We are gathering quite some attention with this… display.”

“Sure,” Leah said after a few seconds of silence. “Let’s do it.”

“Charlie, darling, are you alright to walk on your own, or would you appreciate some help?”

“I think I can do it.”

Heidi carefully untangled herself from Charlie’s embrace with much more softness than Charlie had expected from an unknown vampire. When Heidi had made sure Charlie would not drop to the floor anytime soon, she turned around and raised her voice, relaying the message that the tour would be delayed by a few minutes. Looking back at Leah and Charlie, she motioned for them to follow her.

“Come along.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't think uploading as fast as I could meant I'd update within a day, but here we are lmao. That's what happens when you have time off work ;) Here you go! I can't promise to update as fast again, but I'll sure as hell try ;)
> 
> Sooo as you may or may not have noticed, the way I have written this sequel is very much switching between past (italicized) and present up until... well, a certain moment. This way I hope to slowly reveal the complete story to you! The prologue that makes up the first chapter is very much set in the far away future, and what will follow in these coming parts (I think there should be about 4-6 in total?) is the story that tells you how they ended up there.
> 
> If you have some time to spare, please, please leave me a comment! Any notification I receive telling me I got a comment always makes me so happy :D That's the kind of thing that keeps me going and keeps me uploading! And a big thank you to everyone who has bookmarked and given kudos :)
> 
> I hope you have a lovely day.
> 
> \- Laura


	3. Part 2

_“What is going on?”_

_Charlie was unable to focus on Iris’s voice, too caught up trying to catch her breath. She had been feeling wonky for weeks now, but this was new. Fainting during dance class was not a pleasant experience._

_“I don’t know,” Charlie finally said. She lifted her head._

_“I think you should go get checked out by a doctor,” Iris suggested, concern plain in her voice. “You’re burning up.”_

_“Alright.”_

-x-

Leah had to help Charlie climb up the few steps that lead to the door, but gave up on towing her around as soon as the door was shut. Before Charlie could even realise what had happened, she was in Leah’s arms, bridal style.

“Where are we off to?” Leah asked.

Heidi paused in her steps, cocking her head as she thought for a moment. “I believe the library will do for this particular occasion.”

They made their way through the short hall of the ancient building, their footfalls echoing loudly on the cobblestones. Heidi stopped in front of a reception with a very human-looking receptionist.

“Gianna,” she said, leaning across the desk. “Be a dear and go fetch us some ice packs, will you?”

Gianna nodded and disappeared through the door behind the reception, returning not much later with a bunch of ice packs wrapped in tea towels. Heidi took them from her with a sweet smile and placed them in Charlie’s arms, whose eyes lit up. Charlie wrapped her arms tightly around herself to keep the ice packs close to her body.

“…what the fuck?” Leah said, brows raising. She adjusted her grip on Charlie and looked up at Heidi, who was looking good-naturedly at Charlie. Said human was now completely entranced with her new treasures.

“It appears that Charlie is going through quite the withdrawal,” Heidi explained, waving Gianna goodbye before continuing to lead them through the halls and into an elevator. “Her body runs at a higher temperature than that of a normal human and is simultaneously reaching out to the cold to regain a natural balance in temperature.”

“Withdrawal?”

Heidi nodded, pushing a button to close the door. “Once mates connect, their lives depend on their bond, on each other. For vampires, whose bodies are frozen in time, that tends to be in an emotional sense, but if you throw a human into the mix, the results are somewhat different.” A pensive look crossed her face. “Kind of like drugs. The concept of dependency, I mean.”

“I am on drugs,” Charlie said absentmindedly, playing with her ice packs.

Leah sighed, shifting Charlie’s weight in her arms. “Yes we know.” She turned to Heid. “You’ve seen it before?”

“A handful of times,” Heidi said as she took her smartphone out of the pocket of her jeans. She typed a short message and put it away again. “Never quite this severe. At least, not without the human dying. How long has she been like this?”

“I’m not really sure?” Leah said, trying to remember when it all started. “She was said to be terminal about a month ago, and it’s just been becoming worse and worse throughout these past few weeks.”

“And she thought to come here? That’s impressive. Courageous too, seeking out vampires. Did she learn of us through her mate?”

Leah shrugged. “I think so. I didn’t know of your existence until a week ago.”

The elevator dinged open and they stepped out, into a dim hallway.

“Rose didn’t tell me,” Charlie mumbled, tuning into the conversation. “Well she _did_ but she also _didn’t_. Carlisle told me the dudes were Italian and Vol-Vol- _something_. And then I thought I’d go find you because you surely know where I can find my Roooose. Or you can kill me, but I’ll die either way according to the doctor – another doctor, not Carlisle.”

Heidi froze. “We will _never_ kill a mate. Not ever.”

“Really?”

Heidi

Heidi turned towards them, face serious. “Mates are sacred amongst our kind. Harming another vampire’s mate deliberately will earn you death penalty. Even more so if said mate is still a vulnerable human. We value our bonds.”

“Cool,” Charlie commented offhandedly.

Heidi frowned. “Wait, you mentioned Carlisle?”

The elevator dinged open and they stepped out into a hall with a few sparse windows that let a bit of light in. Heidi lead them towards the end of the hallway, heels clicking against the paved floor. 

“Yup,” Charlie said, nodding. “Stitched me right up when I smashed my head into a table because of Rose. Even my dad always said ‘Dr Cullen is a nice man’ and I agree, he is very nice.”

-x-

_The doctor looked way too serious for her liking._

_This wasn’t going to be good news._

_She was right._

_“There is no cure?” she asked, emotionless. She was in shock._

_“The problem is, we don’t know what is causing your organs to fail,” the doctor patiently explained. “We have tried to find a way to stop it, but whatever is eating away at your health is progressing fast. It looks like your body is reaching out for something it does not have. At this point, all we can do is to try and make you as comfortable as possible.”_

_Charlie froze. Reaching out. Her body was reaching out. Things started to fall into place, and she was suddenly very grateful for the gut feeling she had had that had told her to leave her family out of the loop._

_She had one last chance at life, and she knew who she needed._

_Now the question was, how would she find her?_

-x-

“Carlisle Cullen. Well, this certainly makes things even more interesting,” Heidi commented. She stopped in front of a massive door and pushed it open to reveal a massive hall with an uncountable amount of books. 

Leah whistled, and even Charlie stopped paying attention to her ice packs to gape at the massive book cases. Then she started poking Leah. “Lee-lee we need to take a picture to send to Bella. She’ll go mental.”

“You can’t,” Leah snorted. “Or have you forgotten that you’re supposed to be in a luxurious resort in the US? What do you think will happen when they realise you are in Italy?”

“Resorts can have libraries,” Charlie protested, but she did not push the subject further.

“If you go right to the end of this bookcase and turn left, you’ll see a sitting area,” Heidi said, pointing them in the right direction. “I will go get someone who will help you to get back to your mate. Sooner, rather than later, preferably.”

Leah nodded her thanks and carried Charlie over to where Heidi had said a sitting area would be. It turned out to be a quite cosy corner with a leather couch and a couple of arm chairs. Charlie was plopped down onto the couch, ice packs and all, and Leah stretched her back before seating herself in the nearest chair. 

“Hey Leah,” Charlie called.

Leah sighed. “Yes?”

“Do you think she was serious about the not killing me thing?”

Leah shrugged. “She seemed to be. And they’re vampires, why would she pretend not to kill you and take you all the way to the library, when she could have just as easily killed us as soon as we stepped through the door?”

“What about your super powers?” 

-x-

_“Are you one of them yet?” Charlie asked, holding her phone to her ear._

_“What are you talking about?”_

_“The wolves, of course. You were ill last week, talked about a fever, and then disappeared off the earth for a few days. I came to the conclusion you must have shifted.”_

_“…you know about that?”_

_“Of course I do! My dad is best friends with Billy Black. And I dated a vampire for a little less than a year.”_

_“…I am just going to ignore that last bit for now. No one here expected a girl to shift, so I’m surprised you of all people came to the right conclusion.”_

_“Ah well, I have a knack for that sort of thing. Anyway. Lee? I think I have a bit of a problem.”_

_“Please do tell.”_

_“Will you meet me at Sully’s tonight?”_

-x-

“There is a reason the others live in a pack,” Leah said with a roll of her eyes. She leaned back in her chair. “Most of what we- they do, is teamwork. We are in a castle with hundreds of vampires who could easily call for backup. I’m no challenge to them.”

“I beg to differ,” an airy voice said.

Charlie jumped, but Leah had apparently heard him coming and simply turned her head. In front of the bookcase stood a man - or boy? - who could not have been much older than either of them; his dark hair long and eyes a bright red. His smile, which was supposedly meant to be welcoming, was a tad creepy and had Charlie contorting her face.

A shiver ran up her spine, and she uncomfortably shifted on her spot. Now she was starting to understand the pull and push of the simultaneous attraction and repulsion as a result of interaction with a vampire. Although she could remember Rose talking about it, she had simply brushed it off. She had certainly not experienced this level of discomfort any time she had been around the Cullens.

With a long breath she tried to let the feelings go, and instead focussed on the here and now. Her eyes tracked him as he took a step forward, a vague feeling of recognition bubbling up inside her mind. Where did she know him from?

“Welcome to Palazzo dei Priori, humble home of the Volturi,” he said, floundering over to a chair of his own and sitting down. “It has been a while since we’ve had actual _visitors_. Heidi has briefed me, but please, do tell me your names.”

“I’m Leah,” Leah said, keeping a close eye on the dude. “And this is Charlie.”

“Ah, so I see! It is a pleasure to-”

“Hey!” Charlie exclaimed, her eyes widening. “I know you!”

Leah groaned, but the man’s excitement seemed to grow and he replied back with much the same vigour. “You do? Please do tell, dear.”

“You” - Charlie pointed at him - “are one of the dudes on Dr Cullen’s painting!”

“Ah, Carlisle still owns that piece of art? How marvellous,” the man wondered. “My name is Aro, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am very interested in the” – he paused briefly, an unreadable glint appearing in his eyes – “ _story_ of how you got caught up in our world. However, I do understand you are not here to socialise, and as it happens, I will not be running out of time anytime soon.” He grinned, baring his teeth.

Charlie flinched, but managed to gather her bearings and push herself into an upright position on the sofa. “I’m looking for Rose, Rosalie Hale, but I can’t find her! She said they would be moving to Europe, but it’s impossible for me to find her, since we agreed to be safe and make sure she did not leave any traces behind.”

“Is that so,” Aro said. “That simply won’t do. Well, as it happens, we have a great tracker amongst our ranks who was around when Carlisle resided with us. He should be able to find your dear mate. For a price, but we can discuss the details later.”

Although she tried to contain herself, Charlie could not help but start crying at the relief that washed over her with those simple words. Aro observed this situation with his beady eyes, seeming way too interesting in this phenomenon.

Leah coughed.

That shook him out of it. “Right!” Aro said, clapping his hands as he finally looked away. “I will call for Demetri and have him depart immediately. In the meantime, you are more than welcome to stay in a hotel nearby. At our expense, of course.” He held out a hand for Charlie to shake.

Something about the gesture raised suspicion and she looked at his hand in question. “What will happen if I take it?”

“I will see all your thoughts, from the past and the present,” Aro answered without hesitation.

“Char-“

Charlie took his hand, shaking it for a second before letting go.

“How interesting!” Aro marvelled. “Your mind is an interesting place, young one.”

“Excuse her, she’s on drugs,” Leah said. “Now, where do we find this hotel?”

-x-

_“You look awful.”_

_“Thanks,” Charlie mumbled, throwing Leah a sharp look. “That makes me feel so much better.”_

_“They take off the edge, but never all the pain,” Charlie explained, moving with the line as they got closer and closer to boarding the plane. Leah was carrying both their backpacks, on her own insistence, when Charlie’s muscles had failed her once again._

_“That sucks.”_

_“Tell me about it.”_

-x-

As it turned out, the hotel Aro was talking about was less than a hundred meters away from the plaza. At least, that is what Gianna – the receptionist – told them as she led them back outside. Charlie was leaning heavily on Leah, who had given up on trying to get her to walk by herself when Charlie nearly fell down the three steps that led up to the door of the Palazzo. They had not seen Aro since he disappeared, off to find his tracker. Leah still seemed sceptical, but Charlie was too tired to think about much. Too tired to think about anything but Rose, that is.

She had been trying to avert her thoughts away from her girlfriend – ex-girlfriend, she reminded herself – for this past year and a half, and she had become quite good at it. However, now that the prospect of seeing Rose again was becoming a reality on her horizon, the walls that she had put up were slowly crumbling down. Memories and thoughts came rushing back to her, and with them came mixed feelings. Bittersweet feelings.

Happy thoughts were accompanied by the knowledge that she had made the decision not to stay with Rose. Deep down she knew it had been the logical choice to make at the time, but that did not take away the fear of rejection that bubbled up at the thought.

Fear, that when she and Rose met again, Rose would not want to have anything to do with her anymore. Fear that Rose might have found happiness with someone else, as selfish as that might sound.

By the time they arrived at the hotel, Charlie’s heart was racing from both exhaustion and anticipation. The fact that she did not know how long the tracker would take to return with any of the Cullens did not help her to stay calm at all.

Leah had to help her into the elevator and up to their room once Gianna had gotten all of the administration settled with the receptionist. Once the door of their room was closed, Leah unceremoniously dumped Charlie on the bed. The latter watched as Leah rummaged through the backpack she had brought with them from the car and took out the box where Charlie held all the dosages of her pills and their accompanying times.

“Blue?”

“Hm?” Charlie asked. “Oh, yeah. Blue.”

A bottle of water hit the sheets right next to her head, making her jump. Leah walked over to her and held out a hand with a few pills. “Here.”

Charlie took them without a word and swallowed them down with a sip of water.

“Lee?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...so yeah, uploading fast did not quite work out lmao. My dumb ass had completely forgotten that I was going to participate in NaNo this year (google it if you wanna know what it is) and after all the writing I did there for OG projects, I did not have a lot of spare time to edit my fanfic stuff! Now that that's over, I took some time out of my day to edit this part for youuuu, so I hope you (at least somewhat) enjoy it. Again, all of it has been written, it just needs some extensive editing before I can post it, so hopefully I can *actually* upload fast this time haha
> 
> Thank you so, so much to everyone who took out some time to write me a comment, I appreciate it more than I could ever tell you! If you have some time after reading this part, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And thanks to everyone who left me kudos :D
> 
> Have a lovely day,  
> \- Laura


	4. Part 3

_“This car is kind of amazing.”_

_Charlie shrugged. “I had to do something with the money I had saved up. I’m going to be dying soon, so I thought I’d better hire us something nice.”_

_“Idiot.”_

_Charlie stuck her tongue out, letting her head fall to the leather headrest. “Stop talking, start driving. I’ve got the route here on Google maps.”_

-x-

 _­_ “Char?”

Charlie groaned and rolled around, burying herself deeper under the duvet. Her muscles felt like jelly and she did not feel like moving at all, but her assailant was not having any of it. Not taking notice of her protest, hands pulled away the warm covers, leaving goosebumps on Charlie’s skin in its wake as the cold breeze washed over her.

A sigh sounded.

“Char, I’m going to need you to help me here, as much as you can. One of the Volturi just came and told me they’re driving us out to the countryside so we can meet them in the middle.”

Charlie blinked and glanced up, finally able to make out Leah’s silhouette against the curtain of the dark room. “Who?” she croaked out. Leah’s face came into focus, and Charlie was surprised at the tears she could see streaming down her friend’s cheeks. “Leah? What’s wrong?”

Leah shook her head, turning away as she wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. “I said get up, doofus. Demetri found the Cullens, we’re going to drive their way and meet up.”

Charlie’s heart skipped a beat. “Rose?”

“She is with them.”

Charlie did not know how fast to get up from the bed. Thanks to Leah’s help she was ready to go within ten minutes, although she did lose what little lunch she had eaten that afternoon when the nausea came rushing back with her newfound nerves.

A black, fancy-looking car was parked in front of the hotel’s entrance. It was the middle of the night – it was pitch black outside, and the streets were deserted. The chauffeur introduced themselves as Ezra and proceeded to not say a word as they made their way out of Volterra onto the highway. Leah, too, was uncharacteristically quiet, but Charlie was too nervous and exhausted to ask her about it.

Rose.

All she could think about was Rose.

The car’s window was nice and cold against her overheated face. Although there were a blanket and a basket of food on the back seat, both were still untouched.

Dark fields flashed by as they sped along the highway. Time felt as if it had slowed down to a crawling pace. Charlie could not help but glance at the bright numbers on the car’s display again and again, willing them to change, to show their journey was long and had nearly come to an end. She only just held herself back from croaking out ‘are we there yet’ like she was a child.

At some point she must have dozed off, because she was brought back to the present by a shake of her shoulders. It did not take long for her to realise where she was and within seconds she was wide awake, adrenaline rushing through her veins.

Charlie looked at Leah. “Are we-“

“We’re going park near a remote path in a bit,” Leah said, glancing outside. They had left the highway, concrete switched for a hard sandy path. “We will wait there, Demetri just called Ezra to say they are nearby.”

Charlie bit the inside of her cheek and took a deep breath.

“Just-“ Leah said.

“Just what?”

“They want you to know that Rosalie is in a bit of a… state.”

Charlie froze. “Is she alright?” Her stomach dropped.

“She’s coping, I think,” Leah answered with honesty. “But just like you had a hard time handling your break-up, I think it also took its toll on her. In a different way, probably.”

“I should have never-“

“If you are going on a guilt-trip right now, I suggest you stop immediately,” Leah interrupted, a knowing look on her face. “It’s as much your fault as it is hers. You’re both dumbasses.”

Charlie sagged into her seat, not knowing what to think.

“We have arrived,” Ezra said with a heavy Italian accent.

Charlie glanced out of the window to see they were approaching a small field surrounded by trees. They slowly came to a stop and parked right where the path ended and transitioned into the grass. Ezra turned the car off, bathing them in silence.

Leah opened the door and climbed out, stretching her back with a loud crack. Charlie scooted over to the open door and turned her body, letting her legs dangle outside. Faced with the reality of the situation, nausea started to settle in her stomach. A million thoughts and worries were running through her head, leaving her dizzy.

Leah was leaning against the car, eyes trained on the surroundings. Charlie could not help but follow her gaze whenever her head turned, relying on Leah’s supernatural senses to warn her of any upcoming guests. Her body was exhausted, more so than usual after this strange day.

The rustling of leaves caught Charlie’s attention and she swung her head around. Disappointment welled up when a bird cawed loudly and came flying up out of the trees. Charlie fell back into her seat, leaning her head to the side to rest it against the chair.

Leah took a step closer to the open door before halting her movements and tensing up. “Char.”

“What?” Charlie asked.

“Get up.”

Charlie trusted Leah’s words and she carefully climbed out of the car with a bit of help. When she looked up, the first thing that caught her attention was the bright light of a torch that shone through the bushes. Not much later, a dark cloaked figure was revealed to be holding it, and he led the way for-

Rose.

Rose, that was her Rose, _her_ Rose. Dark blue – nearly black – circles under her eyes, hair wild and unkempt, clothing torn in places, but it was _Rose._

A beat of silence passed.

And they were in each other’s arms.

-x-

Cold, cold, cold arms.

Comforting.

_Hers._

Charlie paid no attention to the tears that were uncontrollably streaming down her face as they collapsed to the ground. Holding on tightly. But so gently.

So, so loving.

-x-

Her thoughts were finally silent. Words left her head, leaving a blank slate.

Peaceful.

Her heart calmed down.

Minutes passed.

Hours passed.

And she knew it was real. It was reality.

Hot forehead pressed against a freezing shoulder.

Balance.

Calm.

-x-

They became aware of the whispering voices full of emotion.

They paid no attention.

Charlie slowly lifted her head and looked right into a pair of pitch black eyes.

So dark. But so gentle.

Charlie licked her lips. Took a deep breath. “Hi.”

Rose looked like she could burst out into tears any second, had she been able to. “Hey.”

They embraced each other tighter.

-x-

When they did finally stand up, Charlie’s sweatpants were damp from the grass and Rosalie’s jeans were stained green. Not that they had eyes for anything but each other.

And when Charlie was finally sure that Rosalie would not disappear the moment she looked away, her gaze found familiar faces standing a few feet away. Leah, whose eyes were ringed with red, though her expression was one of indifference. Emmett, who looked happier than Charlie had ever seen him. And Carlisle, who was very clearly relieved.

Demetri and Ezra were waiting further way, by the car that had brought them out here.

“Hey guys,” Charlie croaked out.

That earned her a collective smile.

Rosalie’s arm tightened around her middle.

“Long time, no seen, huh?”

Leah sighed, finding her voice to mutter out the sentence that had pretty much become her catchphrase. “Excuse her, she’s on-“

“Drugs,” Charlie finished with a light tone and a reluctant smile, voice still rough with emotion.

Carlisle smiled back. “I believe we have quite a bit to discuss. However, I’m guessing that is better done from the comfort of a home. The Volturi have graciously offered to fly us back to Austria from the nearby airport.”

Charlie’s eyes widened. “But-“

“We are coming with them, idiot,” Leah said before she had even had the chance to finish her sentence. “You, Rosalie and I are going by car with Ezra, the others are running to the airport.”

“Oh.” Charlie’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Right.”

Tiredness seeped into her bones with the knowledge that _everything was alright_. Perhaps just for now, but it was _alright_. She turned around and buried her face into Rose’s neck.

“We should get going,” Rosalie said quietly, her chest rumbling with her words.

Her voice was like a soothing balm to Charlie’s wounded mind.

The car ride to the airport passed in one big haze for Charlie. The state near passing out she was in, was broken up with a few short conversations she and Rosalie had, tone nothing more than a whisper.

She was safe now. She was loved. That was all that mattered.

All the worrying she could bring herself to do was aimed at Rosalie, who had very clearly not fed in a while. She half-jokingly offered her own wrist up, which got her glimpse of the Rosalie she knew, with a roll of the dark eyes and a shake of her head.

It brought Charlie hope that things might be alright again someday.

-x-

She had passed out somewhere up in the air. With Rose nearby, the reoccurring nightmares that had made an appearance nearly nightly these past few months stayed away, which offered her some much needed rest.

Much, much needed rest, apparently, because when she woke up again, it was because she was being lain down on the softest of beds.

Charlie blinked and turned her head, unable to see anything in the dark. “Rose?”

“I’m here,” a soothing voice said. The bed dipped down under the weight of Rosalie’s body as she climbed on to lay next to Charlie.

Charlie sighed and cuddled closer, her eyes shutting again off their own accord.

-x-

The next time she woke up, it was slightly less pleasant, because it included jumping off the bed and making her way to the en suite bathroom to fall to her knees in front of the toilet and vomit up bile. She had barely even touched the floor or cold hands were pulling her hair away from her face and rubbing soothing circles on her back.

Charlie grimaced at the foul taste it left in her mouth as she sat back. “Sorry for that.”

“Don’t be sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

“Do vampires by any chance keep spare toothbrushes around? I’d love to taste some mint instead of bile.”

As it turned out, they didn’t, but Leah was called upstairs with Charlie’s bag, giving her all she needed. Feeling much more refreshed, Charlie left the bathroom to find Leah looking at the box of pills.

“Shouldn’t you have taken some of these?”

Charlie halted in her movements to look out of the window, only to find that when she moved the curtains to the side, light streamed right into the room. “Maybe? Where is my phone?”

Rosalie picked the phone up from the side table and walked over, handing it to her and effectively positioning herself between Charlie and Leah.

“Oh shit,” Charlie said, pressing the buttons repeatedly. “It’s dead. Yeah, I think I might have missed my alarm.”

Leah sighed. “Let’s get you a charger, and then some food. You look like you need it.”

-x-

“Rose,” Charlie said in between a few bites of toast. “Shouldn’t you eat too? Or drink, whatever you want to call it.”

Rosalie, who had been scrolling through her phone (in a bad attempt to disguise the fact that she was constantly looking at Charlie), froze. “No.”

“She doesn’t want to leave you behind to go hunt,” Emmett yelled from where he was sitting in the living room. “We asked if we should bring her some take-out here, but she thought it would freak you out.”

That earned him a fierce glare through the wall that separated the two rooms.

Charlie put her toast down onto her plate and stared at Rosalie. Then she slowly got up, gripping onto the back of her chair to stay balanced. Rosalie’s hand was on her arm within a second.

“What are you doing? You haven’t finished your toast yet.”

Charlie looked up, challenge in her eyes. “No food in your belly, no food in my belly.”

“Char, I swear to God-“

-x-

Charlie won.

Even though Rose would not budge on her having to stay inside whilst Rosalie was out in the garden with some animal that Emmett brought her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya my dudes! Here I am again with another part, I finally took some time to edit this after a hectic week. Thanks for all the support and lovely comments, those are what keeps me going :) Anyway, there's a whole bunch of angst here, you're welcome lmao. Also a bit of a switch with some more poetic-ish(?) scenes, because my mind said they fit the mood, so why not. (A few more of those in the next part as well!) There's either 1 or 2 more parts, which I'm hoping to upload soon, but ya never know. 
> 
> If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave me a comment because I love reading your thoughts/impressions and all that :)
> 
> Have a lovely day,  
> \- Laura


	5. Part 4

It was weird to see the others again after such a long time. Especially since none of them had changed a single bit. They had stayed away that first night to make sure that they did not overwhelm Charlie and Rose, but now that they had gotten over that first shock, everyone came trickling back in.

Esme was first, with unshed tears in her eyes and the tightest of mom-hugs that made Charlie cry because it reminded her of her own mom.

Edward, the awkward emo teen, was next and did nothing more than nod in greeting before disappearing upstairs to his room.

Alice and Jasper came in last. Alice’s behaviour was quite the opposite of Edward’s; she joked around and laughed, her entire presence lighting up the room with the happiness she carried around. Jasper seemed to have balanced out Alice’s joy with whatever emotional pain and trauma the others still carried around, and he slowly opened up and relaxed.

Leah was definitely the odd one out, but she refused to fly back home. Charlie knew she must be missing Seth. Although the other boys of the pack were absolute assholes (in their eyes, at least), Seth was still her little brother and the need to protect her family ran deep. Just like Charlie, Leah had been outraged when the pack had tried to pull Seth out of school for patrols, and it was thanks to her persistence that he could continue his education like usual.

Now that Charlie’s brain was a little less fuzzy thanks to Rosalie’s presence, she noticed that since they were away from home, Leah was starting to relax and morph back into the person she had been before being dragged into this supernatural mess.

A mess. That certainly was an accurate description of whatever the hell Charlie had landed in.

If someone had told sixteen-year-old her that in four years she would be dying because her vampire girlfriend had left her, she would have told them they were crazy. (Not that that was a terribly weird reaction.)

Because dying, she apparently still was.

“So, I won’t be able to get better?” Charlie asked, staring at Carlisle. He sat at the end of her bed, his look full of compassion. Rose’s grip on her hand tightened.

“I’m afraid not,” Carlisle said, shaking his head. “Your organs have been damaged beyond repair. Your doctor was right when he told you that you would not have much time left. I believe that your reunion might have extended that time, but I doubt it will extend it by much.”

Charlie nodded. Took a deep breath. “Alright. Well, I think I know what we should do then.”

Both Carlisle and Rosalie looked surprised, although the latter hid it better.

“You do?” Carlisle asked with that friendly, non-judgemental tone of his.

“Not many options left, right?” Charlie shrugged. “Will we do this here or should we move?”

Carlisle blinked. “…can you clarify what you are talking about?”

“Somebody will have to change me, right?”

Charlie could hear glass – she guessed it was one of Esme’s vases – shattering downstairs.

Hm. Peculiar.

“Char, no one has to change you,” Rose finally said.

Charlie turned around to face her, bringing a hand up to cup Rose’s cheek. “I know no one _has_ to turn me. But I would like it if they did. That’s my choice. It’s been my decision for quite a while now, and it’s a decision I probably should have made back when we split up. I wasn’t ready back then, though.”

Rosalie raised her brows. “And you’re ready now?”

Charlie grinned. “Hell no. But I’m _more_ ready, and that’s as close as we’ll get. Besides, everything has fallen into place a bit more now.” Her look turned dark.

“You mean you have already said your goodbyes to your family,” Carlisle added gently.

Charlie sighed and looked over. “Yes. And I know I will be doing this for the right reason. I went to Italy knowing I would die, one way or another. I know I have no grip on how life as a sleepless immortal will be, but I do know that life without Rose was like hell. An eternal life with her is better than no life at all.”

A cold hand on her own returned her attention to Rose, who took a deep breath. “Can I make a request?”

“Always.”

“Take a week?” Rose asked, voice closely guarded. Her newly golden eyes, though, were like a door to the vulnerability that lay behind the mask. “I know you are in pain, and I know you like to do things quick, but do this for me? Take a week to think about it, and to experience being human.”

“That sounds like a reasonable request,” Charlie said. She knew it was the right decision when relief entered Rose’s features. “Let’s do it.”

-x-

“You have a week of being human left, and this is what you want to do with your time?” Rosalie asked, looking sceptically at the massive pile of DVDs that Charlie had laid out on the table. When Emmett had told her that they had been saving up their movies ever since video recordings were a thing, Charlie nearly freaked out and fangirled for a good half hour. There was something lovely and nostalgic about watching a DVD instead of putting on Netflix and streaming whatever caught her eye.

“Honestly?” Charlie said, shuffling her feet. “I just really want to spend time with you. My energy levels are very low these days, and I love being with you. Those are the fuzzy memories I want to have.”

Rosalie visibly melted and gave in with a sigh, helping Charlie to get comfortable on the couch once they had picked a movie. Once she was all settled in, Rosalie joined her, cuddling up under the cosy blanket.

Charlie hoped future vampire her would remember and cherish these moments.

-x-

At least vampire education was a lot more interesting than whatever they had taught her in high school. Now that her future was clear, Charlie got an overview of the entire vampire history, the social aspects, the political system and the Cullens’ personal stories. By the third vampire 101 session, even Leah was listening with avid interest.

The wolf-girl had relaxed somewhat during the past few days and had slowly started to come out of her shell when she noticed that the Cullens didn’t bite – pun fully intended. Her only reaction to the news that Charlie would be turned into a vampire soon, had been to pull a face and tell Charlie how bad she would smell.

Charlie had given her a hug in response.

-x-

“It’s hard for me,” Rosalie confessed, voice soft as a hand traced up and down Charlie’s arm.

Charlie scooted closer to her girlfriend, snuggling into her side on the bed in the dark room. “It _is_ my choice to do it, you know.”

Rosalie sighed. “Yes.” Her hand halted in its path for a second before it continued. “I’m happy you get a choice, and I’m happy that you are choosing to stay, but…”

“It isn’t the choice you would’ve made if Carlisle had asked,” Charlie finished, finding affirmation in Rose’s short nod. “I understand. Or well, maybe I don’t, but I’m trying to understand. Is it a bit of a two-sided thing?”

“Yes. I both admire and hate your choice. Maybe I am envious? I don’t want to be, though.”

“I think it’s alright to be a little envious,” Charlie said after a moment of silence. “It’s natural, probably, to despise someone for not making the choice you wanted to make. I know your choice was taken from you.”

“I don’t like the feeling.”

Charlie pulled Rosalie closer.

-x-

Nerves did not make an appearance until the night before the day that would mark the end to Charlie’s Human Week, as Emmett had named it. Now that she had confirmation that her body was deteriorating, it was easy to notice the small things that got worse every day.

Just a little more tired.

Just a little more painful.

Just a little less easy to bear every day.

And she knew it was time, if she wanted her chances of surviving the change to be as high as possible. Having a frail human body was not giving her a great start. Failing organs in combination with vampire venom was not amazing, but they would have to make do.

Charlie was not leaving the living without one last human experience (or a chance for vampire experiments), though.

“Are you sure this is what you want to do?” Rose asked, brows raised.

Charlie nodded resolutely, glancing into the tattoo shop through the window. “Let’s do this.”

Having a bunch of vampire-in-laws who were all fluent in German was very helpful, as it turned out. Alice had been the one to help her find the best shop and set up a last minute appointment with one of the artists – having a sob story and quite a bit of money apparently did help, and for once Charlie managed not to feel guilty about it.

Charlie pushed the door open and stepped inside. They were greeted by a lovely lady, whose arms were covered in tattoos. When they told her who they were, she got a burly guy from the back of the shop, who showed her the design her had made her.

“Last chance to back out,” he said with a wink once Charlie was sitting in the chair.

Her eyes traced the lines of the intricate drawing on her left hip. She grinned. “No way.”

-x-

“Leave this on for a while,” Thomas – the tattoo guy – said, as he wrapped her up. “I’ve got a list with instructions of how to take care of this to make sure it heals well, I’ll give you that to bring home.”

Charlie pretended to be interested as he explained everything, knowing fully well that there would be no month-long process for her. The only question near the forefront of her mind was what would happen when vampire venom encountered the ink in under her skin.

“I still think it’s cliché,” Rose protested with a sigh when Charlie pulled her towards a traffic light, having spotted a Starbucks on the other side of the street.

Charlie stuck her tongue out. “No you don’t, you love it. Otherwise you would have talked me out of it. Now let’s get some coffee. I want to stay up late on my last day as a human. Or should I just not sleep at all?” It wasn’t like she would need to catch up on the sleep later on. She’d be a vampire later on anyway.

Rosalie let out a short laugh. “You seriously think you can do that? I bet you won’t even last until midnight.”

-x-

Rose was right.

Charlie woke up in bed, when she had definitely been sitting on the couch when her eyes were last open. It took her a minute to catch up with her thoughts, and as such, remember the event that would be taking place today.

The change.

Charlie had expected to feel nervous, or like she might back out, but if anything, she felt strangely calm. That just reinstated that she had made the right choice. Or at least, she hoped so.

In a way, making decisions was like making educated guesses and hoping it would turn out alright.

-x-

“I will do it.”

Charlie smiled. “I know.”

“You do?”

“Rose, there is no way you would have let Carlisle do this.”

Rosalie breathed out an unnecessary breath. “I still want him there. To make sure nothing goes wrong.”

Charlie clasped her arms around Rose’s neck, pulling her closer until their noses were touching. “I trust you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am finally uploading fast instead of saying I will and then forgetting for a month XD That's what two nights of babysitting (all covid friendly, for the family I live with ;)) will do, I guess. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this part! There's just one part left and y'all know what happens there :))) I'll try and be fast at editing that too, but again, we'll see what happens lmao. 
> 
> If you have some time and words to spare, please, please leave me a comment, it always makes me so happy to get a notification that someone commented <3 
> 
> Have a lovely day (and, if I do forget about editing for another month, happy holidays)  
> \- Laura


	6. Part 5

One last text to her mom

Dad.

Sister.

One last human hug with Leah.

One last meal.

One last drink.

One more kiss, one more whispered ‘I love you’.

Teeth at her neck, cool breath washing over her skin.

A single tear trickling down her cheek.

Cold hands holding onto her own. Squeezing tightly.

A flash of fear.

But knowledge of love. Knowledge of life.

Breaking skin. Blood down her neck.

 _Pain_.

-x-

Flames.

All-consuming never-ending _fire_.

Uncontrollable screams, raw throat, venom rushing through her veins taking all possibility of rational thought with it.

A head on her chest, ear to her heart.

Touch hurts, burns, _blisters_.

But it’s strangely reassuring.

She’s not alone.

Not alone with the pain.

-x-

Rose.

Red.

Flower.

_Rose._

Need to remember, need to remember.

Rose.

Red.

Flower.

-x-

Bella.

Sister.

Books.

_Bella._

Need to remember, need to remember.

Bella.

Sister.

Books.

-x-

Dance.

Family.

Laughing.

Warmth.

Mom, Phil, Dad, _Noah_.

Need to remember, need to remember.

Family.

-x-

Whispered words near her ear.

Indecipherable, but reassuring. Familiar. Loving.

Her screams cease as time passes.

Tick-tock.

The sound echoes through her head.

The end.

Is there an end?

 _Yes,_ the voice whispers. _You’re doing good. I’m so sorry. You’re halfway there. I’m sorry. I’m sorry._

Charlie doesn’t understand. But trusts the voice to speak the truth.

-x-

Unconsciousness.

Black.

Floating lightly, oh so lightly.

Screams of agony. Not her own.

Charlie frowns.

The black is welcoming, beckoning her to come closer.

A light in the distance, a feeling of peace.

But the yelling voice holds her back.

Hands on her chest, pushing down in a steady rhythm as Charlie finds herself pulled out of the black and thrust back into the hot red fire.

The voice calms.

-x-

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

What was once a steady rhythm, is slowing down to an irregular beat.

The end, Charlie understands.

But the end of what?

Thump.

Thump

A head on her chest, ear to her heart. As it beats its last beat.

And with an airless gasp.

Charlie is silent.


	7. Part 6

Her eyes opened.

She gasped, gaze flickering around in wonder.

The tiniest dust particles were visible to her in the early morning light, dancing around in the air.

She realised someone was holding her hand and she looked up. Up into a pair of beautifully bright red eyes.

Red.

Flower.

“Rose,” she whispered, marvelling at the tone that left her.

“Charlie,” the angel whispered back.

Charlie. _Charlie_ , that was her. Her name, it was who she was. What else?

She tried to remember but it was as if a fuzzy pane of glass had been placed in her brain like a dam, holding behind it thoughts of her human life. Where she could tell you exactly how many dust particles had flown around in the room the moment she opened her eyes, she was unable to pull up a memory, anything, from behind that veil.

The frustration was strong and ate away at her as it grew, throwing her mood around. A whisper suggested Rosalie should take her out to eat. Charlie recognised the voice, she knew she did, but was unable to put a face to it.

 _Threatening_ , that was how it felt, and without even thinking about it, she was crouched in the corner of the room, Rose pressed behind her.

“Char.”

Just one word was all it took to grab her attention.

“Let’s go outside. You need to feed.”

Feed.

A burning fire ignited in Charlie’s throat and her eyes widened. How had she not noticed that before?

“I know,” Rose said gently. “It never fully leaves, but you can soothe it. Sate it.”

Charlie drew a shaky, hurtful breath. “How?”

Rose held out her hand. “Let me show you.”

-x-

Peals of laughter echoed through the forest. This was exhilarating! The speed, the feeling of the ground beneath her bare feet, the temporary distraction of the pain in this newfound joy. It appeared contagious, because soon Rosalie was catching up on her. They collided with a loud crash and fell to the ground, rolling through the grass until they came to a halt, Charlie lying on top of Rosalie.

They stared into each other’s eyes and a charged silence hung between them for a long second before Charlie dove down and connected her lips to Rose’s. Instead of the familiar cold, she was met with a temperature similar to hers.

Soft. Rose’s lips were oh-so-soft against her own, moving at their own accord as they deepened the kiss and pulled each other closer. They were equals now, in temperature, mind and strength. Neither had to hold back in fear of hurting the other. Even with her new born strength, Charlie would be no match for Rosalie’s skill if she tried to take her on.

“Char,” Rosalie panted as they pulled back for an unnecessary gasp of air. “As much as I am enjoying this, you need to feed. Preferably soon rather than later.”

Feed.

Charlie froze. The fire in her throat reignited as she pushed herself off of Rosalie and stood back up. Unsure of what to do with herself now, she looked at Rosalie.

Rose took her hands in her own. “Close your eyes.”

Charlie followed her instructions.

“Take a deep breath. What do you smell?”

Trees, flowers, water, animals. _Animals._

Her eyes sprung open, black spreading out and overtaking the red irises.

“Go.”

-x-

Feeling a bit more like herself ( _was this who she was? Memories were fuzzy. Who was she supposed to be?)_ Charlie straightened up from her crouch. She gazed down at the corpse, thinking she should be feeling some kind of remorse. But she didn’t. She needed to feed, and the animal had provided.

Rose was right; the blood did not erase the burn in her throat, but it soothed it. It was much easier to ignore the pain now, and that made it easier to think clearly. She turned to find her girlfriend standing just a few feet away, half-hidden in the shadows of the trees, looking back at her with an unidentifiable expression.

When their eyes met, Rose herself off of the tree and stalked over slowly, gazing sweeping up and down Charlie’s body. When they were close enough to touch, Rose reached out a hand, wiping the corner of Charlie’s mouth. Charlie followed the movement with intensity, watching as Rosalie held out her thumb, now stained with red, and brought it to her mouth.

Charlie’s eyes widened, un-beating heart skipping a beat. She licked her lips.

Their eyes locked.

They dove for each other, lips meeting with such force that they tumbled to the ground. Caring touches were intertwined with primal sounds, the feelings overwhelming but welcomed. Charlie’s entire being was focussed on Rose, her girlfriend.

 _Mate_ , her mind whispered, and she accepted that truth.

Then, a breeze carried in a new scent. Not quite mouth-watering, but close. Charlie froze and flew up, hand coming up to her throat as the burning fire sizzled and roared back up.

“Go.”

She ran.


	8. Part 7

Charlie had been right when she had told Rosalie that she had no grasp on life as an immortal, or how life as a vampire would be. She came to that realisation when Rosalie recounted the conversation, Charlie unable to bring up the memory by herself.

Even after months upon months of this life, it was hard to remember much about her life as a human.

Because that was what she had been before.

Human.

She had vague memories, recalling her family, who they were. Their faces were harder to pull from behind the veil in her mind, but luckily she still had her phone and all the pictures on it. There had been a weird sense of déjà vu the first time Leah had scrolled through the pictures, showing her family photos and selfies her human self had taken.

It had taken a while before she had had the patience and focus to sit through that slideshow, though.

Those first few months of this new existence had mostly been contained by her need to feed, and her need to be around Rose. Rational thoughts had been far in between, instinct taking over on most occasions. This new beast inside of her, this creature that she was, needed to acclimatize to the surroundings, the people and this body that had been built up with venom.

Much of those first months were spent outside, in the forest. Feeding, running, playing around.

It was only once rational thought finally balanced out her more primal side, that she learned of how she had almost died on that second day. The haunting look in Rose’s eyes as she described how she and Carlisle got her heart to start beating again made Charlie want to yell at her human body of the past.

Slowly but surely, Charlie was starting to feel more like she had a grip on her emotions and feelings. She started making jokes that made Rosalie’s eyes light up, even though she scoffed in attempt to hide it.

Every new day came with a new victory.

And slowly but surely, they rebuilt their broken relationship.

-x-

“How does it feel to live in a house again?” Emmett asked with a big grin when Charlie had managed to stay inside the house for the majority of the week without going batshit crazy.

Charlie pulled a face. “Weird. It’s a lot more fun to run outside.”

“At least you don’t look like a cavewoman anymore.”

Charlie stuck her tongue out. “I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between caveman you, and you now.”

“Got any big plans for your immortal life? Setting up a business? Getting laid?”

“I already do plenty of that last thing,” Charlie informed him, matter-of-factly, a big grin on her face. “Other than that, I’m just going to stay close to Rosalie and follow her every move until she gets sick of me. Which, considering I’m her mate, should take at least a few decades. Anyway, when are you going to find your soulmate?”

“I’m fine on my own for now,” Emmett told her, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table after a quick glance around to see if Esme was nearby. “I’ll find them when I need to find them.”

“That’s cool,” Charlie nodded. “Well, I’m sorry to say I have to leave you, but I do. Rose is working in the garage, and I don’t want to miss that.”

“I’m surprised she hasn’t kicked you out of there before,” Emmett said, picking up the controller that lay beside him on the sofa. “She used to hate anyone coming in.”

Charlie smiled. “Being her mate has its advantages.”

-x-

Getting to know her new family, and learning to love them, was an experience that made Charlie feel blessed. Even though she had had to leave her human family behind, a family of immortals had been ready to catch her and care for her, taking her in as their own. And now that she was one of them, it was easier to create connections.

These were the people she would get to spend eternity with.

It warmed her heart.

It warmed her heart to know that she would have infinite opportunities to play games with Emmett, hang out with Alice, learn how to fight from Jasper. To playfully annoy Edward, to have long and intense discussions with Carlisle, to hug Esme and bask in the vast amounts of love that woman possessed.

And she considered herself one lucky son of a bitch to be allowed to spend eternity with her Rose.

-x-

“Please?” Charlie was now full-on pouting, looking around the family – _her_ family – with puppy eyes.

“I’m sorry Charlie, dear, but it’s too risky,” Esme said with a sigh.

Charlie turned to Alice. “I know I’m going to be fine! I just want to have a look! Can’t you tell them I’ll be alright? That I won’t mess anything up?”

“My gift doesn’t work like that,” Alice protested, but Charlie could see cracks forming in her resistance.

“We could make it our first big trip as a family!” Charlie said, fully playing the family card now. “I’ll even sit next to Edward on the plane! He can read Bella’s mind, tell me how my family is doing, and then we can leave again! Easy peasy.”

Alice gave in. “I’ll have a look. _Just_ a look, mind you, this doesn’t mean anything.” She pointed a finger at Charlie. “Focus on the decision, think of as many details as you can.”

Charlie grinned internally, but tried her best not to show any of her victorious feelings on the outside. Closing her eyes, she pictured everything. Packing her suitcase, helping the others close up the house, stepping into the airplane, sitting down next to Edward, with Rose on her other side, getting off the plane, finding her sister’s college in Seattle (Leah had been the one to inform her of that move), waiting outside, hiding, Bella would come outside-

Alice’s gasp shook her out of her thoughts and Charlie’s eyes flew open. Alice was grinning widely, joy radiating from her entire being.

“Alice, why are you blocking me?” Edward asked, annoyance plain on his face. “What did you see?”

Alice ignored him in favour of turning towards the others, grin still very much present. “Pack your bags! We’re flying to Seattle tonight!”

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...okay, I'm going to be very honest with you and tell you that this story has opened up a few doors of inspiration that might very well lead to a third installment of this series. I'm not going to promise anything, because life is crazy lmao, but I'll keep yall updated ;)
> 
> (And no, don't worry, a potential third installment would not be a Bella/Edward fic lmao, I'll stay with my lovely Charlie)
> 
> I know I said there would be one part left, but I kind of ended up cutting that part in to three parts because of the way they were written, and this just made sense to me. And I am also aware that I summarise/skip over pretty much Charlie's first few years of being a vamp, but I honestly did not have the inspiration or patience to come up with scenes that made sense, so I left it at this because it felt right to me! ;)
> 
> Either way, here is the end to Soul Searching for the Lost, aka The Sequel That I Did Not Plan to Write But Wrote Anyway! I hope you enjoyed going on this ride with me again, I certainly enjoyed writing this fun project. Thanks to all who have supported me/will support me in the future, I really appreciate it! If you have some time, please leave me a comment because they make me happy <3
> 
> See you later (maybe)
> 
> \- Laura

**Author's Note:**

> ...I'm back? *hides under blanket* So yeah, I wrote this complete sequel to TBDOL back in August, and then I kind of hated it and didn't want to post it. But this past week I had inspiration for a oneshot/chapter that was just too much fun to let go, and one thing led to another... I debated on whether or not to post this, because I really did feel for the ending I had in The Bittersweet Dance of Life, and I didn't want to ruin it aah, but the characters, story and inspiration didn't want to leave me alone. So, I kinda went "fuck it" and decided to dive into the deep black void that is life. Or something like that.
> 
> And now we're here with this start to a sequel of The Bittersweet Dance of Life! This particular part is a prologue that kind of sets the scene/feel for the story, but what comes next will be everything that led up to this particular moment. Aka, how did Charlie and Rose end up back together?
> 
> I hope you enjoy this! If this is not something you're interested in, and if you'd rather think that the story ended where it did, just forget this ever existed lmao. But if this is something that is interesting to you (because it is more gay twilight content, of course) have fun reading! I have pretty much the entire storyline and all the scenes written, but I need to make some adjustments and do some proofreading for everything. I'm gonna upload all the parts as fast as I can manage!
> 
> If you have some time and some love to spare, please leave me a comment! They really do keep me motivated to write and update <3
> 
> \- Laura
> 
> (Sidenote, I literally wrote and edited this in one afternoon/evening haha, so please forgive any mistakes I might've made. I might make some edits to this prologue later on, but nothing major will be changed!)


End file.
